Soundness issues (abcess)

[caramel]

Hi all... finally thought to ask you all for advice.

My boy (TB) was diagnosed with 2 abcesses, one in the bar of his foot, the other in his heel. These were poulticed, and dealt with by my farrier (whose also helping me manage his navicular). The abcesses were in his 'navicular foot' (left fore). He was warm poulticed for 5 days, and dry poulticed for a day. We had the vet out who took the shoe off.
This was a week ago, he's since had the shoe put back on, and been turning him out for a few hours. He wears gel pads in front for his navicular.
The farrier said there was no reaction when the shoe was put back on.

However, he's still lame on that foot. You can see it in the field, and it's really obvious in trot.

I've called farrier, and he's coming tues. Thoughts/opinions welcome...

 

[Mancha]

I would say it either hadn't drawn it all out, or it's got re infected. Some abcesses can take a very long time to finish draining completely depending on their location so there's every chance there's still lots of puss waiting to surface!

 

[caramel]

That's what my YO has said, however I thought if there was any doubt over the abcesses then he wouldn't have put the shoe back on? There's very slight heat in the foot and he's sounder than he was (was hopping lame to start with), now weight bearing on that foot and walking more comfortably.

He won't let me pick the foot up at all.. which I know is not like him. have been cold hosing it but hard to really see under the gel pad.
He's back on box rest for now.

How long can they take to drain?

 

[Mancha]

Big abcesses in certain places can take months! Talking worst case scenario obviously, but 5 days is a very short space of time. Your farrier was obviously sure it was ok, and certainly with some horses the sooner the shoe goes back on the better! I don't know much about gel pads but thinking logically i wouldn't have thought it would do an abcess much good particularly if there is a space between where bacteria may be sitting around?

 

[caramel]

The first day I turned him out (for a couple of hours) with his shoe back on, he lost it in the field. Could that be anything to do with it? He was warm poulticed (as a precaution) and stabled until the shoe was put back on. Shoe was put back on Thursday, he is very flat footed and gets very sore without shoes on.
It's the same shoe, and farrier said it was the build up of pressure caused by the gel pads which resulted in the abscesses. He's wearing the same gel pad too, it would be pretty hard for anything to get underneath the pad. He's a brilliant farrier (the one my vets use and he's been amazing). When I rung him today he sounded surprised that he's still lame.